In Rebuke to Democrats, Voters Return Control of New York Senate to G.O.P.

In a decisive rebuke to efforts by Democrats to dominate both houses of the New York State Legislature, voters elected Republicans to a clear majority in the State Senate on Tuesday, handing them a wave of victories upstate and on Long Island, and returning the party to full control in a chamber it long dominated.

The Republicans’ victories came despite energetic efforts by Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City and United States Senator Charles E. Schumer to rally Democratic voters in a midterm election that boded badly for their party. Democrats have long held sizable numeric advantages in the State Assembly but have been thwarted in efforts to win control of the Senate, which is currently led by a coalition of Republicans and a five-member group of breakaway Democrats.

Earlier this year, Democratic Party leaders in Albany seemed confident that a clear majority in the 63-seat Senate was within reach, particularly after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo made a commitment, after a challenge from the left last spring, to help fight for that goal.

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State Senator Cecilia F. Tkaczyk in 2013.CreditNathaniel Brooks for The New York Times

But after winning his primary in September, Mr. Cuomo proved to be a less-than-energetic campaigner for Senate Democrats, sparing in his endorsements and rarely stumping for embattled incumbents or hopefuls. And on Tuesday, it seemed likely that the liberal wing of the Democratic Party would lay heavy blame at the feet of the governor, who was easily re-elected to a second term.

Republicans, however, were ecstatic. “New Yorkers have chosen balance and bipartisanship over an entire state government made up of Democrats from New York City,” said Dean G. Skelos, the Long Island Republican and Senate leader. “With this comes a responsibility to earn that trust, which we will endeavor to do every single day.”

The victories for the Republicans included defeats of three Democratic incumbents in upstate districts, including some in which the governor made a late spurt of campaigning. It was, however, too little, too late for State Senator Cecilia F. Tkaczyk, a freshman legislator who faced a fierce rematch from George A. Amedore Jr., a former Republican state assemblyman, in the 46th District, near Albany.

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George A. Amedore Jr., a former Republican state assemblyman, in the 46th District, in 2007.CreditNathaniel Brooks for The New York Times

Ms. Tkaczyk beat Mr. Amedore by just 18 votes in 2012, but on Tuesday voters decisively turned away from her to Mr. Amedore. Likewise, on Friday, Mr. Cuomo made an appearance alongside State Senator Ted O’Brien of Rochester, who had lagged behind his Republican opponent, Rich Funke, a former television host. Mr. Funke easily beat Mr. O’Brien, too.

A third Democrat, Senator Terry W. Gipson, was also defeated, as voters in Dutchess and Putnam Counties — Hudson Valley enclaves where Republicans and Democrats often mix — elected Susan Serino, a real estate broker and Dutchess County legislator.

But Republicans also held fast to their own districts. On Long Island, incumbent Jack M. Martins, whose narrow victory in 2010 helped tip control of the State Senate into Republican hands, solidly beat Adam Haber, a Nassau County businessman who has helped finance his own campaign. Two other Long Island incumbents, Kemp Hannon and Carl L. Marcellino, were also re-elected, despite Democratic hopes of upsets in those districts.

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State Senator Ted O’Brien of Rochester in 2012.CreditNathaniel Brooks for The New York Times

And in seats where Republicans were leaving office, new candidates won, too.

In the 40th District, encompassing parts of Dutchess, Putnam and Westchester Counties, where Senator Gregory R. Ball, a Republican, was not seeking re-election, Terrence Murphy, a Republican Yorktown councilman, defeated Justin Wagner, a Democrat and a lawyer.

On Long Island, Thomas D. Croci, a Republican and the Islip town supervisor, secured a win in the Third District, filling a seat being vacated by Lee M. Zeldin, a Republican who was elected to the House of Representatives on Tuesday. Governor Cuomo made a rare campaign stop in the Third District in October on behalf of Adrienne Esposito, a Democrat and the executive director of an environmental advocacy group. But, again, Mr. Cuomo’s backing did not seem to help Ms. Esposito.

Before Tuesday, Republicans held 29 seats, and also had the support of another Democrat, Senator Simcha Felder of Brooklyn. The Republican Party held control of the State Senate for more than four decades before losing the majority in 2008. They won back control in 2010. In 2012, Republicans again faced the prospect of being in the minority, but formed a coalition with the Independent Democratic Conference, a five-member group that infuriated the larger Democratic caucus by siding with the Republicans.

That two-year-old coalition, however, has recently shown signs of strain: Earlier this year, under pressure, Mr. Cuomo said he wanted the independent Democrats to rejoin the fold, something that that group’s leader, Senator Jeffrey D. Klein, later said he would do if the Democrats won a majority.

Still, there were some signs that Democrats might manage to pick up a seat in Buffalo, where Marc C. Panepinto, a personal injury lawyer, was leading in a tight race with the incumbent, Senator Mark J. Grisanti, who is running on the Independence Party line, and Kevin T. Stocker, a lawyer who won the Republican primary in September.

Correction:Nov. 12, 2014

An article in some editions last Wednesday about voters’ returning control of the New York State Senate to Republicans referred incorrectly to Simcha Felder, a Democratic state senator from Brooklyn who will be supporting the Republican majority. He is Mr. Felder — not, of course, “Mr. Simcha.”

Al Baker contributed reporting.

A version of this article appears in print on , Section P, Page 12 of the New York edition with the headline: In Rebuke to Democrats, Voters Return Control of New York Senate to G.O.P.. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe